Drinking You In
by D3strud0
Summary: Lilly is scared of her feelings for Miley, and turns to drinking to run away. She can't hide from Miley for long. Liley.
1. Chapter 1

Miley noticed how tired Lilly looked at school Friday morning. She looked like she was very disoriented and she squinted against the suns slightest rays.

"Hey, Lilly, how are you doing?" Miley asked as she sat own next to Lilly, fishing for an explanation.

Lilly grumbled, "Mmpf… I got a headache,"

"Oh… I'm sorry… You drinking enough water? You getting enough sleep? You eating enough food? Any of those reasons can cause headaches," Miley inched closer, trying to read Lilly's sudden discomfort.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm sleeping fine," Lilly furrowed her brow, seemingly troubled. "I'm eating, I'm…" She paused, and sighed, "I'm drinking,"

Miley wasn't sure why Lilly had hesitated. Lilly had seemed distant for the past month. She had continued to come over to Miley's house every week, but she was always very quiet and seemed to have something else on her mind. Miley was determined to get to the bottom of it. "You want to spend the night tonight?"

Lilly didn't answer right away. She looked like she was debating the thought with some trouble. After a few moments, she answered. "S-sure,"

"Good," Miley smiled, "I'll clean my room tonight so it'll be presentable,"

Lilly nodded, and then the bell for homeroom to begin rang.

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Lilly got home after school and went straight to her room. Her mother wouldn't be home until late in the evening. She sat down on her bed in silence. After a long period of not doing anything, she reached for a picture that sat on her dresser that was next to her bed. It was a picture of Miley and her on the beach, with their arms linked, and the sun setting a vivid orange behind the ocean waves. Oliver had taken the picture with his new camera he had been carrying around and bragging about all day. Mostly he had taken horrible pictures of seashells or blurry hermit crabs, (not to mention far away pictures of the backs of girls heads that he liked) but when Lilly saw how well the picture of Miley and her had turned out, she harassed him until she and Miley got a copy of it.

Lilly stared at the picture, at their happy carefree faces. She stared at Miley, with her beautiful smiley, and her long brown hair blowing in the wind. Tears welled up in her eyes and she had to set the picture down. She lowered her head into her hands and whispered. "What the hell am I supposed to do with these feelings?" Her voice shook.

After another eternity of no movement, Lilly stood up slowly, and expressionlessly walked over to her closet. She shuffled through her Lola clothes and shoes and old skating gear, and pulled a half empty bottle of whiskey out. Lilly had gotten it from the liquor cabinet in the house that her mother kept for special gathers of the sort. She had a lot more where that came from.

Lilly walked back over to her bed and sat down again. She twisted the cap open and shut her eyes tightly as she threw back her head and guzzled down the sour liquid. She pulled it away from her lips and coughed, choking down the last of the bottle.

"_It's not fast enough…" _she thought to herself_. "I need more… please, I need more…I don't want to feel this anymore…"_

Tears found their way down Lilly's cheeks, as she staggered back over to her closet, and exchanged the empty bottle of whiskey for an unopened bottle of Cream Sherry.

She didn't really care what it was. As long as it did it's job fast and took her away from herself, and this world. She opened the bottle, and once more, held it to her lips, starting the same nightly routine she had been practicing for the last month.

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It was 7:30 when Miley had finished her chores, her homework, and cleaning her room. She sat on her bed reading her assigned Chemistry chapters for he weekend, but she just couldn't concentrate. Sighing, she closed the book and reached for her cell phone that sat beside her. She had a weird feeling in her gut, and for some reason, it let her thoughts to Lilly.

Miley flipped open her phone and texted Lilly.

_Hey Lil. How you doin? You can come over anytime =)_

Afer her phone notified her that the message had been sent, she flipped it closed and sighed, stretching out onto her bed with her phone resting on her stomach. She closed her eyes and waited. After several minutes that seemed to drag on, her phone vibrated and she picked it up and flipped it open. It was from Lilly.

_I dnt know how im do ing. I dnt knw wht 2 do wth myslf. I hat e ths. I shldnt cme. Ull hat e m e._

Miley was completely confused and concerned by Lilly's response. She quickly texted back.

_Lilly, I don't understand. Come over, okay? _

Several minutes later, Lilly replied with only:

_Ya ok._

Miley waited anxiously in the living room for Lilly to arrive. About 15 minutes later, Lilly stumbled onto the porch steps. Miley rushed outside and knelt down over Lilly.

"Lilly, are you okay? What's going on," Lilly mumbled and swayed as she was doubled over, and Miley immediately knew that something wasn't right. "Come on, let's go up to my room.

Miley helped Lilly stagger up the steps. She could smell what smelled like alcohol on Lilly's breath, but had a hard time piecing things together. They got up the steps and into Miley's room, and Lilly collapsed onto Miley's bed and started to sob.

Miley slowly lay down next to Lilly and placed her hand on Lilly's arm. "Lilly…" she whispered softly, "Tell me what's going on… are you…?"

"I'm drunk," Lilly sobbed, "I'm pathetic, and I'm drunk,"

Miley's eyes widened as her fears were confirmed. "Lilly… how long has this been going on?" Her voice quivered. She was afraid of the answer.

"A month," Lilly choked and slurred, "A month, and I can't stop, I don't want to, it makes it all go away,"

"Lilly…" Miley felt tears of her own sting her eyes, "Why? What is it you want to go away?"

Lilly curled into a ball, and Miley wrapped her arms around her, "My feelings…" She mumbled.

"Feelings of what?" Miley stroked Lilly's hand softly.

Lilly hesitated and continued to weep. After a long silence, she finally spoke. "My feelings for you," She whispered.

Miley didn't speak for a long time. She was deep in thought, not sure if Lilly was speaking out of drunkenness, or if she was really going through so much pain because of her. "Lilly…" She finally whispered.

Lilly was asleep as tears continued to leak from her eyes. Miley sighed and pulled Lilly closer. She held her in her arms and fell asleep too.

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Lilly woke up the next morning in Miley's arms. Miley felt her stir and sat up.

"Good morning, Lilly," She smiled softly.

Lilly squinted around the room, looking defeated. She couldn't look Miley in the eyes. "Miley…" she muttered, ashamed, "Last night… did I…?"

Miley leaned forwards and pulled Lilly into a warm kiss. After pulling away she looked at Lilly, who stared at Miley, dumbfounded.

"Lilly… I have feelings for you too, so you don't have to run away from them anymore... we're going to get through this together,"


	2. Chapter 2

_**I do no own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent he actors or actresses on the show. **_

"So," Miley said as she finished pulling her shirt on and getting dressed. "Are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast?"

Lilly furrowed her brow and sighed, "I don't know… my stomach isn't begging for food or anything. I'm still feeling a little sick,"

Miley nodded and walked over to sit down on the bed next to Lilly. She rested her head on Lilly's shoulder and a silence fell between them. "I guess…" Miley finally spoke, "We should talk about what we're going to do next,"

Shifting uncomfortably, Lilly sighed and nodded in agreement. She had gotten herself into this mess, though, it had brought upon some things that were most definitely positive. For example, the way Miley now rested her head on Lilly's shoulder, and had started gently stroking her arm. However, it was time to face the music. Lilly knew this, and she was thankful that Miley was with her to help her through it.

"Yeah... I guess we should," Lilly swallowed and reached to take Miley's hand in hers.

Another silence fell between them, and again, Miley was the one to break it. "Well, we know that it has to stop…" The tone of her voice was very stern, "And… we have to tell someone… An adult,"

Lilly lifted her head and looked at Miley? "Wh-what? Why?"

"Lilly…" Miley frowned and tightened her fingers around Lilly's arm firmly, "You can't expect to overcome this alone. You need support. I'll do everything I can, but… I'm scared I won't be enough," Her mood quickly changed. Her grip loosened and she lowered her head.

Lilly gazed at Miley, noticing that her bottom lip was trembling. She laced her fingers in Miley's, and leaned to kiss her cheek. Then she rested her forehead on Miley's and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Miles… I'm just scared. You're right…" Lilly exhaled heavily. "Well, about most of it, anyways," Lilly pulled away and smiled warmly at Miley. Miley sniffed and looked up questioningly at Lilly. "You'll always be enough... More than anyone else could ever be,"

Miley smiled and laughed softly. She leaned into Lilly's arms and wrapped her arms around her. Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley as well and closed her eyes, taking every second in. She sighed deeply with satisfaction.

Resting her head on Lilly's should once more; Miley tightened her arms around her. "We'll get through this…"

Lilly nodded and planted a kiss on the top of Miley's head. "Yeah… We will,"

They remained this way for several more moments, and then Miley pulled away slightly and looked up at Lilly. "I think… we should tell my dad, and your mom…" Miley bit down onto her lower lip apprehensively, and then continued, "It's your choice which one we tell first,"

Sighing heavily, Lilly nodded again, and Miley resumed her position of being wrapped in Lilly's arms. "Alright,"

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Lilly and Miley sat beside each other at the kitchen table across from Robby Ray. Both of them were too nervous to look at him directly. He was equally nervous, and anxiously held the handle of his coffee mug tightly.

"So girls," He said, after some time of neither of them speaking, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

The two girls exchanged glances, and then Lilly lowered her head. Miley sighed and cleared her throat. "Daddy…" She began slowly, "Lilly… Lilly's been having a problem,"

Robby Ray's brow creased and he glanced at Lilly, who kept her eyes glued to the table in front of her. Looking back towards Miley, he tried to remain calm and composed until he knew what was going on. "Is this about all the ruckus I heard out on the porch last night? What's been goin' on? I'd be happy to help in any way that I can,"

Miley nodded, and then turned towards Lilly. She reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Lilly sighed, and then forced herself to lift her gaze. She look at Robby Ray, who looked back at her, preparing himself for whatever it was he was about to hear.

"I've been having trouble…" Lilly started, and then there was a long silence. Miley squeezed Lilly's hand again, trying to tell her that it would be okay. Lilly sighed again, saying the next few words she was to say over and over again in her head. If only it were that easy to actually say it. "I've been having trouble with… drinking," Her voice trembled as she spoke the last word.

Both girls watched as Robby's Ray's eyes widened slowly and his mouth hung open and remained stationary in the position. He had stopped moving entirely, and failed to respond.

Lilly lowered her head back down to stare at the table. Her face burned with embarrassment and shame and every second of silence weighed heavy on her heart. Miley looked over at her worriedly and then frowned and turned to her father. Clearing her throat, she spoke.

"Daddy,"

Robby Ray blinked and shook himself out of his state of shock. "O-oh… Sorry girls… Just… gimme another second to absorb this… I'm a little caught me off guard…" He closed his eyes, took a long deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. He took several more moments to sort out his thoughts and then opened his eyes. "Alright, Lilly…" He looked at her, and she slightly raised her head and focused on his ear, to give the impression that she was looking at him. She just couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with him at that moment. "Well… We're going to have to tell your mother… Would you like me to do it, or do you want to?"

Lilly sighed, "I'm already planning on telling her…"

"We were going to talk with her tomorrow," Miley jumped back onto the conversation, "I… I thought it would be easier to do one at a time and get used to it, so it wasn't as hard… Plus we wanted you to know…"

Robby Ray nodded, "Well, the sooner the better. I'm here to help and support you, Lilly, however you need me to. It's a tough thing to go through…I've seen friends and loved ones go through it before, and what helps the most is having those who love you be there to support you. So I know Miley and I will be there with you all the way,"

"Thank you," Lilly's voice was quiet.

A silence fell between the three of them.

"Um, Daddy, it's okay if Lilly spends the night, right? So we can kind of… prepare and make sure she stays…" Miley furrowed her brow. She felt weird saying the next word, "Sober…?"

"Of course, Miles. You girls do what you have to. Why don't you go out to the beach and get your mind off this for a little while?"

Miley smiled softly, "Good idea, Daddy… and thank you… for understanding,"

"Not a problem," he winked at them and stood up before walking over to the sink to wash out his coffe mug, "Now you two get outta here and go have some fun,"

Miley stood up, Lilly's hands still in hers. She expected Lilly to rise with her, but Lilly didn't move. She looked at Lilly and saw that her head was still lowered in attempt to hide her tears. She was biting onto her bottom lip and trembling, trying not to make any noise.

Miley frowned and leaned down and stroked Lilly's hair. "Lilly…" She whispered soothingly. "Let's get out of the house and get some air, okay? We'll go somewhere on the beach where we can just relax and not be bothered,"

Lilly hesitated, and nodded weakly. Slowly she stood up and let Miley lead her out of the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actor and actresses on the television show**.

Lilly lay on her back in the sand on the far end of the beach where she could remain undisturbed. Miley had gone to get them some drinks, to which Lilly had tried to give her money for. When she reached to pull out her wallet, she realized that she as short on cash and told Miley to forget it.

Miley simply smiled sweetly and said, "Don't worry. It's my treat," and told Lilly that she wouldn't be long.

Lilly now ran back the event in her head and smiled to herself. She would have enjoyed the moment even more if the blaring sunlight wasn't causing her head to pound. Grumbling, she rolled over to her size and rested her forearm over her eyes and proceeded to listen to the gently crashing of the waves against the shore.

Eventually she heard the sound of approaching footsteps sifting through the sand. She sat up and saw Miley approaching with two bottles of water in her hand.

"Here," She said as she sat down next to Lilly and gave her one of the bottles, "Don't worry, I talked Jackson into giving me a 2 for 1 discount. Besides, it's important to hydrate after drinking,"

Lilly raised her eyebrows and gave Miley a questioning look. "And since when did you become the expert on hangovers?"

"Since I looked it up this morning on the Internet while you were in the shower," Miley shrugged her shoulders and smiled innocently.

Lilly smiled and bravely brought her lips to Miley's cheek. "You're sweet,"

Miley blushed and linked her arm with Lilly's and nestled against he side. "I know,"

Lilly unscrewed the cap on her water and took a sip. She wasn't thirsty, but she knew she should hydrate, so she forced the liquid down her throat. She screwed the cap back on and lay back into the sand. Miley followed the motion and they found themselves laying together in a peaceful silence.

Miley had shut her eyes and snuggled herself closer to Lilly's side. Her ear was against the side of Lilly's chest, under arm, and she could hear Lilly's heartbeat and her breathing. Miley sighed happily, relaxed by the sound.

After some time, she became aware of Lilly's nervous fidgeting. Miley opened her eyes and looked up at Lilly. "What's wrong, Lil?"

Lilly frowned and furrowed her brow "I think.." She started, "Miley, I think… I want to tell my mom; today. I want to get it over with,"

Miley took a moment to absorb Lilly's statement, and then sighed heavily and rested her head back at Lilly's sighed. "Are you sure you're ready for that? It might… be hard… A lot harder than tellin' my Daddy was,"

Lilly sighed as well and ran her thoughts through her head again. Miley waited patiently for her answer, listening to the sounds of the ocean around them.

"I'm ready," Lilly finally concluded. "I want to get this out of the way… and start getting things back to normal…"

Sitting up, Miley looked down at Lilly. Lilly looked back at her questioningly. Miley then leaned down and kissed Lilly's lips softly. When she pulled away, both girls had a smile on their face. "Not… Not _completely_ back to normal, I hope," Miley said bashfully.

Lilly smiled, and tugged Miley gently back down to her side. Miley wrapped her arm around Lilly and hugged her close.

"No," Lilly reassured her, "Not _completely_ back to normal,"

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Miley walked into the front door of her house and sighed heavily as she sat down on the couch.

"Hey, Miles," Robbie Ray looked up from stirring his skillet over the stove and noticed that she was alone. "Where's Lilly?"

Furrowing her brow, Miley sat up slightly to answer her father. "She went home. I'm meeting her there in an hour. She… wanted to tell her mom about her drinking, tonight,"

Robbie Ray turned the heat on the stove down to low and walked over to sit down next to Miley, putting his arm around her. "Well, darlin', I can't say that I'm not happy about that. I think the sooner the better,"

"Yeah, but…" Miley frowned and rested her head on her father's shoulder. "What if Lilly's mom doesn't take it well? What if she freaks out and sends Lilly off to some program for alcoholics in Alaska?"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the web page I found on the computer this mornin' about the "highest rated alcohol and drug abuse programs", would it?" Robbie Ray laughed.

Miley blushed. She realized she had forgotten to log off. Silently she crossed her arms and responded quietly. "…Yeah…."

Robbie Ray leaned over and kissed his daughters forehead. "Aw, darlin', Lilly may have had some struggles with drinkin', but that doesn't mean she's an alcoholic. It's a long road before you get to that point,"

He noticed Miley didn't seem at all relieved by his answer, and he sighed. "Listen, Miles. I know you're worried about Lilly, and you want to help her in any way you can, but the truth is, we gotta respect whatever decision Lilly's mother makes. We can't know how she'll take it, until she knows. It's her daughter, and however she deals with it is in her hands,"

"But she's my friend! She's my--!" Miley stopped herself before she said anything else that would reveal something she wasn't sure she was ready to reveal. "She… She needs me with her…"

Robbie Ray nodded. "I know, darlin', and you're being her friend, and supporting her the best way you can. Nothing will change between you two,"

Miley sighed, and after several moments, she stood up. "Thanks, Daddy… I'm gonna go get ready to meet Lilly,"

Robbie Ray stood up and gave her a tight hug. "Stay strong, bud,"

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The sun was setting as Miley neared Lilly's house. She took a deep breath and stopped to stare out across at the ocean, watching the orange reflection of the sun shimmer across the water. It had nearly disappeared behind the horizon when she heard her phone ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw that it was Lilly.

"Hey," She said, as she answered.

"Hey, are you close?" Lilly asked anxiously from the phone. Miley could tell she was nervous. "I told my mom I needed to tell her something important, but I needed you here for support. She's getting kind of antsy,"

"I'm a few houses away," Miley said as she started walking again.

"Can I come meet you outside?"

Miley smiled. "Of course you can,"

"Alright," Lilly sounded relieved. "I'll see you in a few,"

Miley kept walking, and soon saw Lilly step out from in front of her house ad start to walk towards her. Miley unconsciously quickened her pace to meet her sooner, and Lilly practically began to run.

As they drew near enough, Lilly threw herself into Miley's arms, trying not to cry.

"M-Miley, I'm scared... I don't know if I want to do this!"

Miley smiled, feeling the warmth of Lilly's embrace around her. She wrapped her arms around Lilly and held her close.

"Lilly, listen to me," She whispered soothingly in her ear, "You can do this. You have to… You wont be alone, okay? I'll be right there with you,"

Sniffing, Lilly nodded and they both pulled away to look into each other's eyes. "Th-thank you, Miley,"

They lingered several moments longer, and then simultaneously leaned forward. Their lips met in a warm and blissful infusion, fitting perfectly with the others. After allowing themselves to take pleasure in the feeling of safe comfort from each other, they pulled away.

"You can count on me; always," Miley smiled and wiped a remaining teardrop from Lilly's face. Lilly smiled back and nodded.

They joined hands and continued towards Lilly's house.

Upon entering the house, they found Heather sitting at the kitchen table, much like Robbie Ray had been earlier that morning. Lilly lowered her head.

"Okay, Lillian, Miley's here. Care to tell me what's going on before I form an ulcer?" Heather's voice sounded irritated and anxious.

Lilly was frozen in fear and Miley had to grab her hand and lead her to the table. Lilly got the message and pulled up a chair. Miley sat down beside her.

"Okay," Lilly took a deep breath and exhaled, "Mom…."

A long silence formed in the room as Lilly lowered her head again and shifted nervously. When it became too much for Heather to handle she sighed and took a sip of her coffee to keep herself from exploding.

"Look girls," She said looking from Miley to Lilly, "Is this about the two of you?" There was heavy hinting tone in her voice. "Because, if it is, I don't have a problem with it, we just have to talk about some ground rules,"

"Th-that's not it, Mom…" Lilly spoke up, shocked by her mothers words, "I-I mean… that's… that's,"

Miley sighed and took over. "This isn't about that. We can talk about that another time. This is more important,"

Heather drummed her fingers nervously against her coffee cup. "Okay… _now_ you girls are really starting to scare me," She looked nervously at each girl, and her eyes rested on Lilly.

"Lilly, sweety, it's okay, you can tell me," Her voice was soothing and worried.

Miley reached down to hold Lilly's hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze, reminding Lilly that she was there for her.

Closing her eyes, Lilly took one last deep breath, and then let it all spill out.

"Mom, I've been drinking… every night… for a month… got it from the liquor cabinet. I told Miley, and I told Robbie Ray, and after I got their support, I'm able to tell you,"

Lilly lowered her head again to avoid seeing the look on her mothers face, but Miley watched as Heather's face lost its color and nearly turned white. Her eyes were fixated on Lilly and she looked terrified.

Miley squeezed Lilly's hand again as she felt it beginning to tremble. The silence in the room continued; both of them were anxiously waiting for Heather to say something.

"Miley," She finally spoke. Her voice was trembling. Neither of the girls could tell if it was from anger or anxiety. "I would like to speak with my daughter alone, now. Thank you for coming by,"

Miley didn't know how to respond. She stared at Heather dumb founded. "But--!"

Heather cut her off firmly, but not angrily. "Now, please,"

Miley was scared. She glanced over at Lilly, who could bring herself to lift her head, but was still able to speak. "M-Miley, it's okay," She whispered. "We'll talk later…"

Reluctantly, Miley rose from her chair. She hesitated, and then leaned over to kiss Lilly's cheek. A teardrop touched her lips, and she had to practically drag herself from Lilly's side, and out of the door.

"Lillian," Heather said after the sound of the door shutting had left them in another long silence. "Look at me,"

Lilly obeyed her mother's stern demand, and was surprised when she looked up to see tears streaming down her face. This panicked her.

"M-Mom, I'm sorry," She started babbling, "It's okay now. Miley's there to support me, and I'm not going to drink anymore,"

"Lillian, what were you thinking?" Her mother's words hurt her, but mostly because of how much pain she could hear in them. "_Drinking?_ You _know_ your grandpa was an alcoholic! You _know_ your father was an alcoholic! Christ, Lilly, what were you thinking?!" She stood up before Lilly could respond and walked over to the liquor cabinet, ignoring the volume of her tears.

"And now, I can't even trust my own daughter to be in my own house when there's alcohol in it! Lilly, how am I supposed to deal with my daughter drinking?! I can't lose you to it too!" She took an armful of drinks and walked them over to the garbage. She opened it and threw them in.

Lilly stood up, weakly, "M-Mom, I'm sorry," She repeated.

Heather was too worked up to hear Lilly, and went back for another armful, emptying the cabinet. "And involving Miley in this? What were you trying to do?! What if she didn't want to know about it, Lilly? Do you know how hard these things are? I can assure you that you don't, and neither does Miley! What happens if it gets to be too much for her and she wants out, but she can't leave you because she'd feel guilty?! I've been in that position before, Lilly! It hurts when you watch the person you love destroy themselves and start to drag you down with them!"

Lilly had begun to silently cry as she continued to listen to her mother's tirade. "I-I wont drink any more," she sobbed quietly.

"Oh, and it'll be that easy?! What about your first withdrawal? What about when things get hard? How far will you go to find escape at the bottom of the bottle?!"

Heather slowed down, suddenly being hit just as hard as her words as Lilly was, and reliving her past experiences. She sat down at the table and rested her forehead in her hands.

Lilly tried to stay quiet, but the tears were too strong to be completely silent. After a very long time, Heather stood up. She looked drained, and completely lost.

"Lilly," Her voice was tired. She pulled her keys out from her purse, "I'm sorry, I need some time to think," Without saying anything else she walked out the door.

Lilly now sat at the table, alone in the house, and she was finally able to release her tears. The empty house rang with her sobbing as she collapsed onto the table.

Everything her mother had said seemed so true. She didn't have the sense in her at that moment to take into account that her mother was emotionally charged and needed to calm down.

She kept running through her head that she would hurt her loved ones; that she would hurt Miley and trap her, leaving Miley unable to feel like she could leave, and dragging her down with her.

Lilly was more than upset. She was distraught. She was crushed. She then pulled herself out of her seat and over to the trash can. She was about to do something she would regret, but in her shaken up state, she couldn't think clearly. She didn't have the warmth of Miley at her side; now she felt so cold. It was the only way she saw to escape.

Her mother had been too upset to follow through with the notion of disposing of all the alcohol in an affective manner. Lilly reached into the garage, tears still falling down her face, and pulled out a bottle of Scotch.

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Miley knocked anxiously on Lilly's door. She had returned home upset a while earlier, and Robbie Ray had offered the invitation to the grocery store to get things off her mind. He assured her that everything would be okay, and that Lilly would call her soon.

When they arrive, Miley had seen Lilly's mother drive passed the grocery store in her car. She hadn't been able to make out what sort of state she was in, but she asked her father if he could drop her off at Lilly's when they were done so that she could check on Lilly. Of course, he agreed.

She became very nervous when there was no answer, and boldly opened the door, slowly at first. "Lilly?" She took a step inside and she walked into the kitchen. Her eyes rested on a motionless Lilly on the ground, who was laying in her own vomit with tears still running down her cheeks. "Lilly!"

Miley rushed to her side, knocking the empty bottles besides Lilly away. "Lilly!" She cried again, trying to shake her awake. Lilly wasn't responding. Her breathing was slow and shallow. "Lilly!" Her cry was now a desperate shriek as she shook her harder. Miley fumbled for her cell phone to call her father back to the house.

Lilly had taken in too much.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.**

Lilly woke up, feeling very confused and bewildered. Not to mention the pounding in her head that felt like it would burst through her skull. She was too disoriented to tell where she was, but she felt someone's arm draped over her.

"Urgh…wh…where am I?"

The person next to her stirred, and then shot up. "Lilly!"

Lilly knew it was Miley's voice. "Miley?" She asked warily as her vision was still stabling.

Miley threw herself onto Lilly, and Lilly could tell that she had started crying. "Oh thank god you're okay,"

Lilly took another moment, and realized she was in Miley's bed. She gently placed her arms around Miley. "How did I… get here?"

Miley sat up and gave Lilly some time to take in her surroundings. It slowly came back to her. How she had gone into the garbage and fished out the bottles of alcohol her mother had thrown away. She furrowed her brow, completely frustrated and enraged with herself and her weakness.

"Dammit…" She muttered, laying back and bringing her hands to cover her face.

Miley scooted closer to you. "I walked into your house… and you were laying on the floor. I kept shaking you but you wouldn't move," Tears built in Miley's eyes as she relived the experience in her head. "I called Daddy, and he came. He slapped your face a few times, and then asked me to help move you to the bathroom. We tried to get you to throw up some of the alcohol you drank, but we couldn't get you to. Daddy carried to the car, and we brought you here. I asked him if we should take you to the hospital, but he said your breathing had gotten better and you just needed to sleep it off,"

"How long… have I been sleeping it off?" Lilly asked, realizing it was dark outside.

Miley timidly wrapped her arms around Lilly's arm. "It's been about a day," She glanced over at the clock on her nightstand, "Right now it's a little past 2:00 in the morning,"

Lilly sighed, aggravated, and removed her hands from her face. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"Well…" Miley looked down, embarrassed, "Yeah… I w-was really worried…"

Closing her eyes, Lilly tried to think of something to say, but all that came to her mind didn't seem to express the shame she felt for putting Miley through this. "I'm sorry," She whispered weakly.

Miley bit down on her bottom lip, hurt by seeing how sad Lilly was. "Let me get you a glass of water. I'll be right back, okay?"

Miley sat up and got out of bed. She left the room, leaving Lilly alone in the room. Lilly closed her eyes tightly in attempts to stop her tears from escaping her eyes. She knew she had made a huge mess of things, and there was no way to go back and take it away. She heard Miley enter the room and looked up to see her, holding a glass of water.

"Here," She smiled sweetly at Lilly as she neared the bed and handed her the glass of water.

Lilly couldn't bring herself to look Miley in the eye. She lowered her head and took the glass from Miley. "Thanks…"

Miley sighed, and sat down on the bed. Lilly slowly brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. Her mind was on other things, and she ended up choking the small sip. She started coughing, trying to suppress the tickle in her throat. Miley took the glass from her and set it on the bed stand. When Lilly caught her breath and was able to speak, she cleared her throat.

"Sorry," She said weakly.

Miley smiled. "It's okay. Just take it slow,"

Lilly lay back down, and felt the bed shift as Miley climbed in and lay beside her. A short silence formed between them. Miley snuggled close to Lilly.

"Miley…?" Miley turned her head to look at Lilly. "Have you heard… from my mom?"

Miley shifted nervously and answered after a hesitation. "Y-yeah…" she admitted, "My Daddy called her and left a message… She came by earlier this evening…"

"Was she…" Lilly was scared of the answer she would get, "Okay?"

Miley sat up and sighed. Lilly sat up as well and waited for Miley's answer.

Taking Lilly's hand in hers, Miley looked up at Lilly sadly. "She… asked us to take care of you for a little while… She's checking herself into a rehab,"

Lilly blinked, not sure if she was supposed to take Miley seriously. She knew Miley wouldn't joke about something like that, but it just took her by surprise.

"What…?"

Miley lowered her head and began to stroke Lilly's hand soothingly. "She sat down with Daddy and had a long talk…. She told him she had been drinking almost every night after you had gone to sleep for the past year…. You coming forward to her was sort of a wake up call for her, and she said she needed help…"

When Miley lifted her head to look at Lilly, she saw that Lilly had lowered her head as well, and a tear was rolling down her cheek.

Lilly was confused with all the different emotions that had swelled within her body. She was relieved that she would be able to stay with Miley. Miley would be there to support her, and being with Miley was a way to make sure she stayed strong and sober. However, she was devastated and guilty about the situation with her mother. After all of that, she also was scared that she would be a burden on Miley and her family.

She made the decision then and there, that she would do her best to stay above drinking. She wanted to be together with Miley, and be happy.

She looked up at Miley, who was gazing at her worriedly. Smiling, she squeezed Miley's hand. "I'm glad I still have you, Miley… I was so stupid to drink last night… I'm ready to stop,"

Tears flooded from Miley's eyes and crawled into Lilly's arms. "Oh, Lilly, I was so scared I had lost you. I don't know what I would have done without you. Please… please, never do that again,"

Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley and sighed. "I'll do my best, Miles… I never want to hurt you again,"

Soon enough, Miley stopped crying and fell asleep, still in Lilly's arms.

Lilly gazed down at her and sighed happily. She leaned forward to kiss Miley on the forehead, and then she too, fell asleep.

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Miley and Lilly walked downstairs into the kitchen the next morning.

Robbie Ray looked up at them, "Mornin' Miles," He looked towards Lilly, "How you feeling, Lilly?"

"I've been better," She grumbled, "Wayyy better,"

Robbie Ray chuckled, glad to see Lilly still had her sense of humor. "I take it you're not hungry, huh?"

Lilly made a sickened face, "Oh, please no. Don't talk about food…" She and Miley walked over to the kitchen table to sit down.

Robbie Ray glanced at Miley. "Miles, you hungry?"

Miley shook her head. "Not right now. I'll wait until Lilly's ready to eat,"

"Miley," Lilly frowned, "If you're hungry, eat something,"

Miley sighed and stood up to walk over to the counter. "Fine. I'll just have some toast or something," She pulled out some bread and deposited it into the toaster, then, she walked back over to the table.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, girls. I'll be down in a bit," Robbie Ray sat up and put his coffee mug in the sink and then turned to head upstairs.

Miley nodded, "Okay, Daddy,"

There was a small silence, as both of the girls waited for Miley's toast to pop up. When it did, Miley sat up and went to get it.

Lilly watched as she spread butter and jam on it, and then turned to walk back to the table again.

"I'm still mad at you, you know," She said to Lilly as she sat back down.

"What?" Lilly raised her eyebrow, "What'd I do?"

Miley sighed and took a bite of her toast. "For drinking… and scaring me like that… So… don't think you're off the hook," She looked at Lilly, letting her know that she was serious, but then smiled playfully.

Lilly smiled back, "I know, I know… I didn't expect to be…"

Miley hesitated, and then set down her toast. She stood up and walked over to Lilly. Placing her hands on Lilly's shoulders, Miley leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. When she pulled away, Lilly saw tears on the rims of her eyes.

"Seriously," She said, pulling Lilly into a hug. "Don't _ever_ scare me like that again,"

Lilly breathed in Miley's sweet sent sighed. She nodded slowly, and put her arms around Miley.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show. **

Lilly had been staying with the Stewart's for just under a month now; and she had done it sober. She and Miley had been practically glued to each other and one was rarely seen without the other. From home, to school, to appointments, to Hannah rehearsals; everything.

Miley had suggested they wait until Lilly was further along in her goal of staying sober before they explored their relationship. She suggested it after the first night Lilly had stayed over.

Miley and Lilly were lying in bed; Miley's arm was draped her Lilly and she snuggled herself close.

_"How are you feeling?" She asked as she timidly lifted her chin to kiss Lilly on the cheek. _

_Lilly hesitated and then answered, "Well… better. Just a little exhausted and restless,"_

_Miley frowned, "Exhausted and restless? That sounds confusing,"_

_"It's exhausting," Lilly joked, and Miley laughed._

_Several moments of silence passed between them, and Miley sat up. Lilly gave her a question look. Leaning down, Miley softly pressed her lips against Lilly's. Their lips lingered on each other, and then Miley pulled away, smiling bashfully down at Lilly. _

_Lilly's expression was one of utmost seriousness. She sat up slowly, not daring to break her gaze with Miley, and reached her hands up to Miley's face. Miley noticed Lilly's hands trembling, almost elegantly._

_She ran her fingers under Miley's hair, resting them over her ears, and then leaned into kiss Miley's lips deeply. _

_Miley squirmed with desire and wrapped her arms around Lilly's back, pulling Lilly towards her. As they continued, she noticed Lilly's trembling increase and she pulled away. _

"_Lilly?"_

_Lilly looked pale and her skin was clammy. Her hands were trembling rather moderately at this point. She looked up at Miley, scared and confused, and then shrank into her first convulsion. _

_Minutes later, Miley was running down the hall into her father's room with tears in her eyes and screaming for him to wake up._

_Robbie Ray jumped out of bed once he realized Miley was too upset to form a complete sentence, and followed her back into her room. _

_He studied Lilly's actions, and told Miley that it was withdrawl, and that there was nothing they could do but wait it out and be there for her. Miley nodded, climbing back in bed and taking the trembling Lilly in her arms. _

_After that night, as much as they both yearned to become for physical with each other, they agreed to wait until the situation was a little more stable. _

"Miles, you ready?" Lilly called from outside the bathroom door, dressed in a Lola outfit. "We're gonna be late?"

"Almost!" Miley hollered back, "And I don't care _how_ late we are, we're eating dinner before we leave!" Lilly's series of withdrawal had last the first two weeks. In that time she didn't have much of an appetite, and she couldn't sleep well, so the last week and a half, Miley had been very strict about their sleeping and eating schedule.

The two of them were on their way to attend one of Traci's friend of a friends parties. It was the first party Hannah had gone to in a while. Traci had wanted her to come alone, but she refused to go without Lola.

"You girls gonna have a great time tonight?" Robbie Ray asked as the girls cleaned their plates in the sink.

Miley rolled her eyes and sighed. "Not if Traci's in ear-shot," Lilly laughed.

"Just be sure you two're back on you're way home at 10," It certainly wasn't the first time he had said those words in his lifetime.

"We know, we know, Daddy," Miley walked over to the counter to grab her purse. "Ready, Lil?"

Lilly nodded, "Ready,"

They laced fingers and walked towards the door. Miley hollered out as they left, "Love you Daddy!"

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Lilly was seconds away from freaking out. She and Miley had arrived at the party, and it wasn't what either of them had expected. There was no sign, that they could tell, of Traci. The people at the party all seemed like they were rowdy college students, and the place was completely littered wit alcoholic beverages.

"_L-Lilly, let's go," Miley grabbed Lilly's hand and started to lead her out._

_Lilly planted her feet and wouldn't budge. Miley looked at her, confused. _

"_Miley… This is it," She said, just loud enough for her to hear over the loud music and the noisy crowd. "If I can stay sober here… it's another step forwards,"_

_Miley looked up at Lilly sadly. "Are you sure?" She squeezed her hand around Lilly's._

_Lilly nodded. "I'm sure,"_

Within the next hour, Lilly and Miley had mingled, mostly by themselves, at the party. Miley kept her eye on Lilly, and after some time, saw that Lilly seemed to be maintaining her composure.

A few people came up to them, recognizing Hannah, and introduced themselves as some television show or movie extra. They all seemed to think they had hit it big already. This was really not the type of party classy genuine celebrities went to, and both Miley and Lilly were appalled that Traci was even involved with it.

Finally, Traci showed her face. She was hanging on the arm of some older boy.

"Hannah!" She screeched, "So glad you could come! This is Renaldo. He's hosting the party!" She leaned in to whisper in Miley's ear, "And _I'm_ hosting _his_ big ticket to success in the celeb biz. Not to mention, he's not too shabby on the eyes,"

Miley didn't know what to say, but even before she could try to fathom her response, Traci continued.

"Oh, listen to me prattle on. Come, come! Renaldo and I will make sure you have a great time," She reached to grab Miley's wrist and pulled her into the crowd. Miley was still confused and disoriented to respond fast enough. By the time she realized what was happening, she was halfway lost in the crowd. She turned to see Lilly staring after her, obviously feeling equally blind-sided and confused.

"L-Lola!" She cried out, but she disappeared completely from her site.

Lilly's last glimpse of Miley before she disappeared into the crowd revealed Miley; very scared and confused. By the time Lilly had come to her senses and tried to go after Miley in the crowd, it was too late. There was no sign of her, no matter how many drunken Hollywood meal tickets she pushed through.

After a solid 30 minutes of desperate searching, Lilly stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself and allow rational thinking to occur. Suddenly she heard a familiar yell.

"Lilly!" Lilly turned to see Miley stumbling towards her with tears in her eyes. Lilly panicked and ran to her. "I, I mean, Lola!"

As Miley fell into Lilly's arms, Lilly suddenly realized that Miley was buzzed, if not drunk. Her jaw dropped, horrified.

"M-Miley, what the hell?!"

Miley squirmed in her arms and clung to Lilly. "Lilly, I want to go home, I don't like this,"

Lilly silently cursed Traci in her head, "Okay, okay, just hold onto me and I'll get us out side, okay?"

Miley held on to Lilly tighter, making it difficult for Lilly to walk. She put her arms around Miley, and practically lifted her. She started walking towards the exit. Miley continued mumbling. Lilly could only make out half of it.

"Traci and her guyfriend took me, they took me to the back room, and they told me to do shots with them, and all I could think of was getting back to you so, so you wouldn't drink, because I was scared, without me there, something bad would happen, and, and so I just did what I had to until I could get back to you, and,"

"Miles, shh, it's okay, relax. I'm here, I'm sober, you're not. We gotta get you home,"

Miley released a deep-pitched moan, which made Lilly shiver. "Home," She said slowly, "That sounds so good,"

Lilly got them outside, and walked them over to a bench that was across the street on the sidewalk. She set Miley down, but Miley refused to unhook her arms from around Lilly's neck. "When we get home, we can just crawl right into bed, and be nice and warm, and then, we can fall asleep," Miley was still mumbling.

Lilly smiled sadly. She hated seeing Miley so lost. "Yeah, Miles. We will," She leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Miley sat up, and pressed her lips against Lilly's. Lilly could taste the burning aftertaste of spiced rum on Miley's breath, and she almost missed it. But Miley was more important.

"Miles, I'm calling your Dad, okay?"

Miley sat up, "No! No. Call Jackson. I can't deal with Daddy, right now,"

Lilly sighed and pulled out her phone, "Alright…"

Jackson was a saint and drove to pick them up. He had been incredibly supportive of the two girls lately, although he had started to tease them about being lovers, which they hadn't shared with anyone as of yet.

"Thanks, Jackson" Lilly sighed as he helped Lilly lift the sleeping Miley off of her and into the car.

"No problem… Just, don't ask me to cover for you, I'm a horrible liar… plus Miley'll owe me big for this,"

Lilly smiled. She knew he was trying to come off as a jerk so he wouldn't seem like he was being a softly.

Lilly climbed into the back seat with Miley and pulled her into her arms. "Let's get her home,"

Jackson nodded and started the engine.

As they drove home, Lilly held Miley in her arms and stared out the window into the night sky. So many thoughts and emotions were running through her head, and she was still shaken up. The sound of Miley's soft snoring drifted to her ears and she turned her attention to her. Miley stirred and cuddled closer into Lilly's arms.

Lilly sighed. She knew, whatever came their, they would be together.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

Lilly was awoken early in the morning by the sound of Miley groaning. She sat up.

"Miley?" She spoke softly, "Hun, you awake?"

Another unpleasant groan from Miley lead Lilly to scoot closer to her and place her hand gently on Miley's cheek.

"Mmmph, make it go away," Miley curled into a tight ball and brought her hands to hold her head.

Lilly smiled sadly, and brushed Miley's hair away from her face. "Sweety, hey,"

"Lilly?" Miley relaxed and squinted up at her. The dim morning light hurt her head too much, so she closed them and timidly crawled into Lilly's arm. "It hurts," She mumbled groggily.

Lilly took pleasure in welcoming Miley to her arms. "Well, I'd be a little worried if it didn't," She joked, "You were completely hammered last night,"

"Be nice to me," Miley moaned, snuggling deeper into Lilly's arms, "I feel like shit,"

Lilly raised her eyebrows. "Oh, hell no," She made sure to keep her voice soft, which made it sound kind of odd, "You got to be mad at me when I drank, and now it's my turn. What the hell were you thinking? What if I had drank when you left? We'd be screwed. What if something had happened to you and some strange guy took advantage of the situation?"

"I just wanted to get away and find you as fast as I could…" Miley's tired voice spoke, "I…I wasn't thinking…"

Lilly sighed, "Miley, more than anything, I'm just glad that you're okay,"

Miley shook her head, "I am sooo not okay,"

"Well," Lilly laughed, "In the long run you're okay,"

Miley hesitated and then closed her eyes, sighing comfortably as she was surrounded by Lilly's scent. "And you are too…"

Lilly smiled and tightened her arms around Miley. "Yeah… I am,"

The two of them stayed like this awhile and Miley almost fell asleep. Lilly kissed her, to wake her up.

"Miles, I'm gonna grab you some water, okay?"

Miley sighed and sat up off of Lilly, "Okay… some aspirin wouldn't hurt, either,"

Lilly smiled and stood up from the bed, "You got it. Be right back,"

When Lilly walked into the kitchen, she was still smiling. She was happy that she was there to take care of Miley. However, she was caught off guard when she saw Robbie Ray sitting at the table in his robe, drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. He looked up at her as she entered and the smile left her face.

"Mornin' Lils," He paused, as if waiting for Miley to come out behind her, "Where's Miley?"

"Sh-she woke up with a headache…" Lilly mind raced for an explanation, "She started her period last night, and woke up feeling crappy. I'm getting her some apirin for her cramps,"

Thankfully, Robbie Ray didn't seem suspicious. He looked back down at the paper and took a sip of his coffee. "Aw shucks. That's too bad. How was the party last night?"

"Good," Lilly went to fill a glass of water and then placed it down on the counter. She then went to the medicine cabinet and fished for the aspirin. "It was pretty low key. Miley and I just made an appearance and chatted with a few people,"

Robbie Ray nodded, "Well, I'm glad you two got out and had some fun,"

"Yeah," Lilly picked up the glass of water again and held two aspirins in the other, "Well, I'm gonna go take care of Miley. See you later Mr. S,"

"Thanks, Lilly. I'll cook up something nice for her when she wakes up. I know she has an appetite that could put Uncle Earl to shame,"

"Great," Lilly smiled and turned to walk up the stairs, where her smile quickly faded, "That's the last thing she's going to want," She muttered to herself.

Lilly delivered the water and aspirin, and made Miley drink the entire glass. After that, Miley crawled back into bed and adjusted herself until she was comfortable. She fell asleep instantly. Lilly smiled at her, and gently ran her fingers through her hair, which brought a happy grin to Miley's face.

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A little after noon, Miley was feeling well enough to leave the bedroom and come downstairs. When they came downstairs, Robbie Ray's car was gone, and Jackson was at work.

"That's weird," Lilly said as she filled Miley's glass of water back up and brought it over to her. "Where do you think he went?"

Miley took the glass from Lilly and thanked her. "I dunno. It's not like him to go anywhere in the middle of the day unless he had a haircut,"

Lilly laughed and sat Miley down at the kitchen table. She watched as Miley carefully brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. She lowered the glass back down and set it on the table.

Miley felt Lilly's eyes on her and turned to meet her gaze. They held each other's gaze for several serious seconds, and then at the same time Miley closed her eyes and leaned forwards, Lilly gently grasped Miley by the arms and leaned down to take Miley's lips in hers.

Miley moaned with pleasure as she felt Lilly's tongue brush against her own, and heard Lilly's heavy breathing. Their lips became warm and wet as they massaged each other's tongues, and became enveloped with heat by the simple touch of the other. They drew nearer and Miley wrapped her hands around Lilly's waist. As their lips pressed against one another's, their mouths widened to hungrily experience the warm insides of each other's mouths.

Suddenly, they heard a car pull up. Lilly reluctantly pulled away, her face still close to Miley's. Miley could feel her hot breath on her cheeks.

"S-sorry," Lilly whispered.

Miley tried to calm her breathing enough so that she could speak. "Don't be,"

Lilly sat at the table just as Robbie Ray opened the door and walked in.

"Hey girls," He greeted as he shut the door behind him. He was holding a brown paper bag in his hand. "Glad to see you're finally up. You feeling any better Miles?"

Miley nodded awkwardly, "Y-yeah I'm okay,"

"Your face is a little flushed. Try not to overdo it," He neared the table.

"I'm fine," Miley assured him more confidently, "What's in the bag, Daddy?"

Robbie Ray hesitated and then firmly set the bottle down on the table. Both girls stared at it, and then looked up at him curiously. He reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

Lilly's eyes widened in shock and Miley looked up at her father nervously.

"D-Daddy… What's this for?"

Again, Robbie Ray hesitated, and then picked the bottle up and set it on the counter. He sighed and turned to Lilly.

"Lilly, you've been staying here for nearly a month. Sober," Lilly couldn't bring herself to look at him as he spoke to her, "I think it's time to put your strength to the test. I'm going to be leaving this bottle here until tomorrow morning. I believe in you, and I think you'll be strong enough to overcome the temptation, but ultimately, it's in your hands,"

Miley stood up from her chair, "Daddy, this isn't a good idea! It's not fair to tease her like that!"

"Miles…" Robbie Ray sighed, "Lilly's the only one who can make the choice. It's not up to us,"

"Lilly…! Say something!" Miley pleaded desperately as she turned to face her.

Lilly was silent for several moment.

"Miley… I think… I think it's fine… I think I can do this,"

Miley stared at Lilly, trying to absorb her words, and then plopped back down in her chair with a heavy sigh. "Okay," Her voice was doubtful, "Fine,"

There was a long silence as the tension in the room grew.

"Thank you, Mr. S." Lilly finally said timidly.

Robbie Ray smiled softly and walked over to place his hand on Lilly's shoulder. He squeezed it reassuringly. "No problem, Lilly. We're here to support you and love you,"

Lilly nodded, and nervously glanced over at Miley, who sat with her arms crossed and her gaze fixed on the wood of the table in front of her. She looked upset. Lilly swallowed, and stood up from her chair.

"I-I'm going to go change my clothes," She said slowly.

"Wait, Lilly," Miley sighed and sat up. "I'll go with you," Her tone was tired.

Lilly nodded, and she and Miley left to go upstairs. When they were gone, Robbie Ray sighed and sat back in a chair at the table. A silence formed in the room, and he found himself staring at the bottle of whiskey that sat on the counter.

Eventually, he broke his gaze from he bottle and leaned his elbows on the table, lowering his head. He ran his hands through his hair, flustered, and then sat back again, glaring at the bottle.

"You're a real devil," He said, speaking to the whiskey, "You sure as hell better not take this one away from us… Not this one,"

He kept his glare to the bottle for several more seconds, and then lowered his head and sighed.

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Lilly stood to the side of the bed as she slowly took off her shirt. She reached over to grab the clean one Miley had leant her and pulled it over her head. She became aware of Miley's eyes watching her closely.

Lilly sighed, "Miley, what is it? What's wrong?" She climbed onto the bed to sit closer to Miley, who was lying on her stomach.

Miley sighed as well and sat up. "Lilly… I can't believe you're okay with this,"

"Okay with what?" Lilly scooted closer to her.

Miley rolled her eyes at her. "You know what I mean. With my Daddy's plan." She sat up, her voice growing louder. "It's crazy! It's putting you in danger, and I don't want you to go through it again! I don't want to lose you again!"

Lilly placed her hand on Miley's arm, trying to calm her down. "Miley… look, I understand that how you feel. I'm scared too… but… you're dad's right. I have to do this. If I don't ever confront it now, I'll have to do it later, and it might not be in the best situation," She sighed and paused a moment, "This way, I'm around people who support me,"

Miley stared at her and then sighed. "Lilly… I just… I don't know… I'm scared you can't do it…"

Lilly blinked. Miley's words struck her hard. "What do you… Miley, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't mean it in a bad way, Lilly, I'm just scared," Miley looked away, unable to face Lilly's gaze,"

"Miley," Lilly grasped Miley's arms, forcing her to make eye contact. "Do you think I can do it?"

Miley bit down on her bottom lip nervously. She didn't know what she thought. She did know that she didn't want to lose Lilly. She was scared, and she couldn't separate her fears from what she felt.

Lilly laughed softly and sadly, and pulled her arms away from Miley. She turned away and lowered her head, so Miley wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. "Okay,"

Miley could tell from the trembling of Lilly's voice that she was desperately trying to hold back her tears.

Lilly sniffed, and laughed sadly again as she brought her hand to wipe her cheek. "Well now I don't know if I can do it either," She stood up and started towards the door.

Miley felt warm tears fall from her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. "L-Lilly, wait!" She couldn't believe how quickly she had begun sobbing. "I'm sorry, I…"

Lilly stopped and stood in the doorway. "It's fine Miley…" She started to walk out the door.

"W-wait, Lilly!" Miley was trying to hold back tears, and she found herself unable to move. "Wh-where are you going?" She was sobbing now, and it broke Lilly's heart.

"I…I need to think.. I'm just going out for a walk," She stopped again before leaving. "I love you, Miles,"

Miley watched helplessly as Lilly disappeared out the door. It took several seconds before she could process everything. Her breathing was soft and faint at first, but as she played back what had just happened in her head, she began to hyperventilate. Finally she burst into sobs and buried her face into her pillow, unable to hold it in any longer.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show.**

Lilly walked down the sidewalk, alone with her thoughts. The sun was starting to set beneath the ocean horizon. It reminded her of the day Miley came over to her house when Lilly had decided to tell her mother about her drinking. It brought back the memories of that painful time.

She didn't really remember a lot about that night. All she could recall was the awkward moments following up to telling her mother, and then her mother yelling. She vaguely remembered her mother leaving, but after that, everything was completely gone from the grasp of her memory. She didn't remember drinking, though she knew she did. Even the parts she should have remembered, she couldn't. It was like her own thoughts and feelings and experiences from that time had been taken away from her; She didn't like it.

Lilly continued to walk and eventually found herself at the end of the beach. By that time it was nearly dark. She sighed and lay back in the sand to gaze up at the stars. After a long while of staring at the stars, Lilly closed her eyes.

"Can I do it?" She asked herself out loud, "Can I really do it?" She half expected some kind of answer to come to her, but she knew how ridiculous that sounded. She sighed heavily and opened her eyes, trying not to let her tears spill over. More than anything, Miley's words had been stuck in her head the most.

_I'm scared you can't do it…_

Lilly groaned and sat up. "Dammit, Miley… How am I supposed to do something like this if you don't believe in me?" Lilly lifted her head to look back at the starts. She knew it was completely understandable that Miley was scared… And she didn't want Miley to lie to her about how she felt. "This is just… too difficult…"

It was getting cold so Lilly stood up. She didn't feel like she could go back to the Stewart's yet; She was still conflicted. Aimlessly, she started walking away from the beach and back towards the road.

Lilly slowly started back towards Miley's house, trying to think of somewhere she could go to kill some time and be left alone with her thoughts. When she glanced up from the sidewalk, she was bewildered to find herself a few houses away from her own house. She hadn't been there since her mother had left.

As she made her way to the front door, she stood in front of it hesitantly and then leaned down and lifted up the 'Welcome' mat, exposing the house key. She picked it up and sighed; She had always told her mom that keeping the key under the doormat was tacky. Her hands trembled slightly as she entered the key into the keyhole and turned it. The door opened and she stepped inside.

The room was cold and dark. Lilly hesitated before walking further into the house. It didn't feel as welcoming as it once had; Lilly would much rather call the Stewart's house her home. After another heavy sigh, Lilly walked into the kitchen.

The bottles were still on the floor from the last night she had drunk. She swallowed hard and walked towards the bottles, her mind going a mile a minute with confusing mixed messages.

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At the Stewart house, Miley was nearly in hysterics.

"Daddy, she's been gone all day!" Miley paced nervously back and forth in the living room. She glanced hatefully at the bottle of Whiskey that still sat on the kitchen counter. "It's completely dark outside! Where could she be? What if something happened to her? This is all my fault!"

"Miles, calm down," Robbie Ray walked over to her and led her to take a seat on the couch. "Lilly needs some time to herself to think. You didn't do anything wrong,"

Miley bit down on her lower lip anxiously and blinked back tears. "I told her I didn't think she could do it. I didn't support her, Daddy,"

"Lilly knows you love her, darlin'," He leaned over to kiss her on top of the head. "It's all up to her to make the decision,"

Miley huffed out a sigh and crossed her arms. She knew her father was right, but the circumstances in which Lilly had left wracked her with guilt. She leaned over and rested her head on her father's shoulder. "But… really… where could she be?"

Robbie Ray shook his head, indicating that he had no answer. He wrapped his arm around Miley's shoulder and gave her a loving squeeze. "I don't know, bud,"

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Miley sat in her room, carefully watching the clock. It was past midnight, and still no sign of Lilly. Jackson and her father had gone to bed hours ago, but Miley was too worried to sleep; that and sleeping without Lilly in her bed proved to be difficult. She realized jut how much she depended on Lilly, and how much she'd fall apart if Lilly wasn't there.

She sighed and lay back in her bed, closing her eyes. Every single thought of hers all led back to Lilly. Miley loved her. She loved Lilly, and could not imagine life being any other way.

Unexpectedly, Miley heard a noise from downstairs. It sounded like someone had walked in the front door. Miley's eyes shot open and she sat up out of bed. She quickly ran out of her room and down the hall, swiftly descending down the stairs.

"Lilly?" She called out before she was even at the bottom of the staircase. "Is that you?" hen she reached the kitchen, she froze. She saw Lilly standing in front of the bottle of Whiskey. "…Lilly… wh-what are you doing?"

Lilly slowly turned to meet eyes with Miley. Her face was sad and tired, and after their eyes locked with each other's for a long silence, Lilly turned away from Miley, back to the bottle in front of her.

Miley's knees locked, and she trembled, unable to move. "L-Lil, d-don't. Please? I know you c-can overcome it. I-I know you can!"

Miley watched in horror as Lilly unscrewed the cap. She didn't want to watch, but she couldn't look away as Lilly stared down at the bottle for a long moment. Then, Lilly did something that confused Miley. She walked over to the kitchen and stood in front of the sink.

Without say a word, Lilly held the bottle over the sink and started to pour the whiskey down the drain. Miley watched, still confused, as the bottle slowly became empty, and Lilly stuck it upside down into the sink.

Lilly turned back to Miley and smiled softly as tears began to form in her eyes. "Miles… I don't need that crap," She took a step towards Miley, "All I need is you,"

Miley didn't notice tears of her own streaming down her face. She ran towards Lilly, flinging her arms around her and taking Lilly's lips in her own. She had missed them. She had missed Lilly. "I love you," She sobbed as she pulled away.

"Good," Lilly smiled, "Because I love you too,"

Miley squeezed her arms around Lilly and continued to sob. Lilly held Miley proudly in her arms. Everything was going to be alright. Miley was Lilly's reality. Miley was Lilly's escape. Miley was Lilly's love.

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**A/N: Sorry the big finale is more on the shorter side. I could have finished it in the last chapter but it was such a wonderful place for a cliffhanger. Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story. It was very much appreciated and very encouraging.**


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